Aleteia logoAleteia logoAleteia
Sunday 22 December |
Saint of the Day: Bl. Jutta of Diessenberg
Aleteia logo
Art & Culture
separateurCreated with Sketch.

A short guide on how to recognize famous saints by their attributes

LUKE THE EVANGELIST

Vladimir Borovikovsky | Public Domain

Daniel Esparza - published on 11/12/19

“Wait … is that St. Scholastica or St. Adalsinda?”

Help Aleteia continue its mission by making a tax-deductible donation. In this way, Aleteia's future will be yours as well.

Donate with just 3 clicks

*Your donation is tax deductible!

It’s only natural that, upon entering a church, we don’t recognize more than half of the saints featured in the stained glass windows, sculptures, altarpieces, and other decorative or liturgical elements in the building: Christianity is a long, vibrant, diverse, and often complex tradition that is also responsible for some of the greatest works of art in history. Cathedrals, churches, abbeys, basilicas are all filled with symbols and images that not only condense a unique iconographic tradition, but also convey theological, historical, hagiographical, doctrinal messages to the spectator.

That is the reason understanding the basics of Christian religious symbolism and iconography requires attentiveness to detail, to say the least. In this slideshow, we included some very simple, introductory keys to help you distinguish some of the church’s most popular saints by looking at the attributes with which they’re often represented:


MYSTICAL WINEPRESS
Read more:
Have you seen Jesus making wine? But not like at Cana

Tags:
ArtCatholicismReligious symbolism
Aleteia exists thanks to your donations

Help us to continue our mission of sharing Christian news and inspiring stories. Please make a donation today! Take advantage of the end of the year to get a tax deduction for 2024.

2025-Aleteia-Pilgrimage-300×250-1.png
Daily prayer
And today we celebrate...




Top 10
See More
Newsletter
Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. Subscribe here.